Digestive system

Key Steps in the Digestion Process

1. Swallowing

• Once we start chewing and then swallow our food, the digestion process happens automatically
• The oesophagus is the tube-like organ through which swallowed food is propelled on its way to the stomach

2. Stomach

• Holds the swallowed food and liquid while digestive juices are added
• The digestive juices are very acidic and they help to sterilise and break the food down into easy-to-digest elements
• Muscles of the stomach mix the food and the digestive juices, which helps the digestive process
• The stomach then empties its contents slowly into the small intestine

3. Small intestine

• Absorbs most of the nutritional elements of our food
• The muscular action of peristalsis, the wave-like movement of muscles, pushes the stomach’s contents along its length
• Many different kinds of digestive juices are added and steadily break down the food to separate elements that the body needs
• These nutrients are absorbed through the wall of the intestine and enter the blood stream. The remaining contents are then pushed into the large intestine, for the last remaining nutrients and the excess water to be removed

4. Large intestine (bowel)

• Absorbs remaining minerals that are not yet absorbed from the small intestine, and removes excess water from its contents
• Unlike the stomach and small intestine, the large intestine does not use any added digestive juices. Instead, naturally occurring bacteria break down the waste material, helping to release the remaining nutrients
• Peristalsis slowly pushes the waste material along the large intestine, until it is ready to be expelled from the body

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